Beyond Beijing – look at Tianjin

Wednesday, 19 November 2008

Asia’s largest railway station, Beijing South, opened in August. Planned for the under-construction high-speed service to Shanghai it presently serves the 350 km/hr ‘bullet trains’ to Tianjin.

Now only 29 minutes from the capital,Tianjin is rapidly developing as the focus of the Binhai New Area – a coastal area centred on the Bohai Gulf with deepwater ports, industrial and economic zones and considerable urban development under construction. It is pivotal in China’s northern development strategy, following on from Shenzhen in the 1980's and Shanghai's Pudong in the 1990’s.

As a rising economic hub Tianjin was chosen as the venue for 2008 Summer World Economic Forum, 27-28 September. Also on 28 September, Airbus inaugurated an A320 final assembly in Tianjin. The first of its kind built outside Europe, and designed to produce 44 aircraft a year by 2010. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Airbus Chief Executive Officer Thomas Enders attended the ceremony.